Moving Day: Phase 1

We knew our move from Sacramento to Portland was not going to be seamless. There were going to be phases to make it work out the best financially, as well as emotionally. When Chris got the job offer we immediately knew we needed to put in our 30-day notice on the apartment (we were fortunate enough to be on a month-to-month lease since we’ve been here over 2 years), find somewhere to live, and pack… all before his start date.

Let’s be real… that was a tall order.

I can get a little obsessive when it comes to planning so I hit the ground running when he told me he got the job and signed the offer letter. They were going to be flexible on his start date because of the move and because of how much they wanted him. I had a list of 3 places to possibly live that allowed a short-term lease, included a washer and dryer, and were pet friendly. I had the costs of PODS versus moving trucks all mapped out. I jumped on Redfin and started putting houses in a list based on price depending on what our home loan was going to look like.

We arranged for my parents to watch Bug for the next weekend so we could travel up and meet our realtor and shop some houses on our list, plus look at the apartment options in case we didn’t love anything on this current list in person. We were fortunate enough to have one house we loved go back on the market and we got to look at it and fell madly in love. It was within our budget and by the end of the weekend, our offer was accepted. (Guys, our realtor and her team were out of this world.)

Now we had some real planning to do.

Our lease will be up 10 days before our closing date. Plus the sellers have a rent-back option so that makes our official move in date up in the air at the moment. Buying a house and moving is expensive, so we needed to find the most cost-effective option: Chris starting his job asap. Bug and I would stay behind to pack and prepare for the move and would stay with my parents until we get an exact move in date.

This also meant renting a POD was going to be our best option for moving our stuff, as they have a storage option and it wouldn’t involve Chris having to drive back and forth and no one having the stress of driving a moving truck. It was delivered this morning and my helpers and I got it completely loaded in a few hours. We juuuust barely fit everything from our 2 bedroom apartment in a large POD, so if you have more than a 2 bedroom or lots more furniture (we barely have any), please order 2 PODS!

A large size POD is 16’x8’x8′

I will say, for a long distance move, PODS is very well priced compared to some of their competitors and their customer service has been beyond expectations each time I’ve called as well as the delivery drivers I’ve spoken with. With me, that speaks volumes! Since we’re on the street, I have my car blocking space behind so there’s enough room for them to pick it up tomorrow and ship it to our new home (the sellers have been kind enough to let us store it on the driveway while we’re waiting for everything to finish).

This also means I am stuck at an empty apartment with no furniture and not much else to do.

Literally my set up for the evening.

I am so glad we invested in a Novaform Memory Foam Lounger and that I had the thought to leave it out of the POD. It has come in handy time and time again for sleepovers and hangouts. It also rolls up and stores really well.

Tomorrow, the POD will be shipped away and I will mosey up the hill to my parent’s beautiful home in the country. Stay tuned for some of those adventures while we are still in California!

For now, I’m going to curl up and watch Netflix and enjoy my last night in our first family “home.” This is our first place as a couple and the place we brought our baby home to. Oddly enough, I spent the first night here alone because Chris was busy packing his old place. Funny how it all comes full circle.

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